Dr. Michelle Maya - Award winning US Cardiology Mentor

Dr. Michelle Maya - Award winning US Cardiology Mentor

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 11, 2025: Dr.Michelle Maya Kittleson (nee’ Pinto), serves as a Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and is the Director of Education in Heart Failure and Transplantation at the Smidt Heart Institute. She completed her medical degree at Yale University, followed by residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins, where she also earned a PhD in Clinical Investigation. In addition to her clinical and educational roles, Dr. Kittleson has contributed significantly to cardiovascular research and practice. She has served on writing committees for the ACC/AHA Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guidelines and the ACC/AHA/HFSA Heart Failure Guidelines. Furthermore, she is the Interim Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation and serves on the Board of Directors for the Heart Failure Society of America. Dr.Michelle is on the Board of Directors for Cedars-Sinai, Co-Course Director for Smidt Heart Institute Cardiology Grand Rounds, and Co-chair of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group Peer Review and Credentialing Committee.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has honored Dr. Michelle Maya Kittleson, MD, PhD, FACC, with the 2025 Distinguished Teacher Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine through innovative and outstanding teaching at national and international levels. This is a significant award for a young cardiologist out of so many thousands.  ACC is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 Distinguished Awards. This year’s honorees represent an inspiring group of individuals who have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to advancing the College’s Vision of a world where science, knowledge, and innovation enhance the care and outcomes of cardiovascular patients globally. Award recipients will be formally recognized and honored as part of ACC.25 in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Michelle Kittleson,(nee Pinto), MD, PhD. Yale University School of Medicine (Alpha Omega Alpha): Dr. Kittleson is involved hands-on in many medical publications - She has created #kittlesonrules on Twitter, a compendium of tips on how to improve patient care from optimizing communication with patients and colleagues to optimizing medical education to learning from mistakes. These tips have garnered the strong support of over 30,000 followers. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Dr.Kittleson’s recent best selling book, ’Mastering the Art of Patient Care’, very popular with a very wide audience has added much to her popularity. Her parents Dr Marguerite Monteiro ( daughter of the first Dean of St.John’s medical College, Bangalore, Dr.Louis Monteiro, hailing from Goa, Dr.Michelle’s Grandfather) her Cardiologist father, Dr. Edward Pinto hails from Mangalore; both are renowned Doctors of Konkani Indian origins.    


- By: Ivan Saldanha-Shet